1. Field of the Invention
The present invention belongs to the field of plug connectors having electric contacts of the crimping type, and relates to the structure of the tab of the electric contact and the structure of the housing corresponding to it.
2. Related Art
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3046731 discloses a male terminal comprising an electric wire connecting part to be connected to an end of an electric wire, an electric contact part being formed by folding one free edge of a base part over the base part and overlapping them together and to be electrically connected to a counterpart terminal, a fitting part being provided between the electric wire connecting part and the electric contact part and to be fitted on a terminal receiving cell when the terminal is received in the connector, and a joining part connecting the fitting part and the electric contact part. In the case of this male terminal, the joining part comprises a lower piece being extended from the base part toward the fitting part and being wider than the base part and an upper piece being extended from the one free edge part toward the fitting part, to be folded toward the lower piece when the one free edge part is folded over and overlapped with the base part and being wider than the one free edge part.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 10-294145 discloses a connector that comprises a connecting terminal and a housing. The connecting terminal comprises an elongated tab-shaped contact part to be inserted into a terminal receiving cell of the housing made of resin to protrude into a hood part, a fixing part to fix an end of an electric wire, and a fitting part having a fitting hole made in the lower face of an approximately central part for fitting with a flexible fitting piece provided on the housing. The housing has a contact part fitting-in hole. The contact part fitting-in hole is opened in an inner wall constituting the inner part of the hood part into which a counterpart connector is fitted, and the tab-shaped contacting part is passed through the contacting part fitting-in hole. In the case of this connector, a sway-preventing piece protruding toward the tab-shaped contacting part side is formed on the connecting terminal, near the joining part between the tab-shaped contacting part and the fitting part, on the side of the fitting part. And a supporting part, to which the sway-preventing piece of the connecting terminal contacts, is formed on a side in the contacting part fitting-in hole in the housing.
In both cases of the male terminal of Japanese Patent Publication No. 3046731 and the connecting terminal of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 10-294145, the male terminal or the connecting terminal is inserted into a terminal receiving cell in the housing of the plug connector, the electric contact part or the tab-shaped contact part protruding out of the terminal receiving cell is inserted into a tube-shaped female terminal of the receptacle connector to achieve the mechanical connection and the electric connection between the male terminal and the female terminal, and the contact pressure between the male terminal and the female terminal is secured by the elastic restoring force of a leaf spring provided inside the female terminal.